Directioit-indicatob



H. H. BANKS.

DIRECTION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17. 1918 l fifififl 3 Patented June 10, 1919.

Z SHEETS SHEET I.

H, H. BANKS.

DIRECTION INDlCATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17, 191B.

Patented J 111110 10, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- HELENA H. BANKS, OF AMES, IOWA.

DIRECTION-INDICATOR.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 10, 1919.

Application filed. July 1'7, 1918. Serial No. 245,351.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HELENA H. BANKS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ames, in the county of Story and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Direction-Indicators, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a. corner signal or a signaling device forindicating the direction of travel of an automobilist.

The object of the invention is the provision of simple and eflicientmeans on an automobile, readily operated by a driver of a machine, forindicating which direction the machine is to take in traveling overintersecting streets.

With this and other objects in view the invention involves certain novelconstructions and combinations as shall more fully appear in thefollowing specification, and illustrated in the accompanying drawingsand particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary view of an automobile, showing in sideelevation, an apparatus constructed in accordance with the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front view of an automobile showing particularlythe position of the wind shield with my swinging lamps, and theirsupports, attached to the wind shield frame; while Fig. 3 issubstantially a top plan view of the signaling device shown in Figs. 1and 2.

Fig. f is a perspective view of one of the lamp supporting brackets.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 designates the floor or body ofthe automobile, and 2-2 the frame or rods of the wind shield structure.

Under the steering wheel 3 1 preferably arrange the foot devices foroperating my signal lamps and I have provided two of these foot devices,one for each lamp at each side of the wind shield. Each foot devicecomprises a plate 4, having a depending apertured lug 5, and at 6 Ipivotally mount bracket 7 which has an upwardly extending lip 8 and adepending lip 9. Pivotally secured to the upper lip 8 is the footplunger 10, and fastened at 11 to the lower lip 9, is the lower end ofcable 12. The cable or connecting means 12 is passed through the pulleyblock 13, fastened at 14:, to the frame of the automobile, and the upperend of the cable or fastening means 12 is attached to the bottom of theswinging lamp 15; this attaching of the cable 12 is preferably near theinner end of the bottom so that when the lamp is in its projectedposition by being swung outwardly, inward pull exerted upon the cable 12will cause the lamp to swing upwardly and into a vertical position,which vertical position is its normal position when not used forsignaling.

Each lamp 15 is pivotally mounted, at 16, between the parallel lugs 17(Fig. 4:) at the outer end of the lamp bracket 18. The lamp bracket 18comprises a body plate 19, and a flat upper face 20, havin a threadedlug 21, that receives screw 22, wich screw 22 holds the leaf spring 23secured to lug 21. The inner end of the lamp bracket 18 is slitted, asat 24., and terminates in a pair of clamping lips 25, which lips 25 areadapted to surround the rod or frame 2, as shown clearly in Figs. 1, 2and 3. A tightening thumb bolt 26 is threaded through registeringapertures 27 on the split or bifurcated portion of the lamp bracket, andby tightening the bolt 26 the bracket will be securely fastened upon thewind shield. frame.

Spring 27 is attached at one end to the lip 8 and at its other end tothe depending lug 5, and this spring is stronger than the leaf spring 23so that when the operator removes his foot from off the plunger 10,spring 27 will. return the lamp from its horizontal, extended positionto its vertical position, since the leaf spring 23 is only used to tiltthe lamp when the operator has depressed the plunger 10.

On the glass or transparent portion 28 of each lamp suitable words maybe placed for indicating purposes, and the lamps can easily be supplied,through the electric wire or cable 29, with current for illuminatingpurposes; I do not make any specific claim for the illumination of thelamps, hence the electric cables 29 are merely shown to indicate acomplete apparatus, as any old and practicable form of illumination ofthe signal may be adopted, as best suits the constructor or operator ofa car upon which my signaling apparatus is mounted.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with anautomobile body and a wind shield frame, of a lamp bracket attached tosaid Wind shield frame, said lamp bracket comprising a body-plateprovided at its outer end with a pair of apertured lugs, and at itsinner end with" a' slitted or bifurcated portion terminating in clampinglips, said body plate provided near the slitted portion with registeredapertures, a tightening bolt threaded into said apertures, said bodyplate provided With-a fiattened upper portion, and a threaded lug eX-tending from said upper portion, a. leaf spring positioned againstsaidthreaded lug, ascrew threaded into said lug and fastening saidspring thereto,a signal lamp pivotally mounted between said lugs at theouter end of the bracket, said lamp adapted to be moved to a-horizontal,extended-- position'by the-action ofthe leaf, spring upon-its bottom,and manually-operated means carried by the body of the automobileandconnected to said signaling lamp for controlling its movement Copies ofthis patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the andnormally holding the lamp in a vertical,

inoperative position.

pivotally mounted upon the outer end of said bracket, a spring attachedto the bracket between the bottom of said lamp and the upper portion ofthe bracket, for normally pivoting the lamp to a horizontal signalingposition, and spring-held, foot-operated means carried by the body andconnected to the inner end of the bottomof the signaling lamp fornormallyholding the'signaling lamp in a vertical position and compressed,against the spring carried by the bracket.

'In testimony WhereofI hereunto afliX my signature. --LENA BANKS.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G.

